Disclaimer: Guess what my name is. I'll give you a hint: it's not Kazuki Takahashi. So any questions about whether I'm the genius who created Yu-Gi-Oh should be answered, though I won't deny being a genius, after all, I discovered fanfiction at one point in my life, and that was pretty smart you have to admit
Also, I would like to add that the song in this chapter and all the songs in the previous chapters are not mine, they are Michelle Branch's, so the question of whether I'm a musical genius should be answered, though if having something like 60 c.d.'s counts for being a musical genius, then maybe I am after all
CHAPTER 6: Do the Touch- Ups
"A party? I dunno Yug," Joey said doubtfully as he finished the invitation that the smaller boy had handed him. "I'm kinda busy."
"Ah, come on Joey," Yugi said pleadingly. "You'll be leaving soon. This is one of the last chances we'll have to do this!" His large purple, which seemed to get larger, eyes filled with tears but they did not spill over. Joey bit back a groan. Damn those eyes of his!
"All right, Yug," Joey said, caving in. "I'll go."
"Thanks Joey!" Yugi chirped. "See you at school!" Joey watched as his best friend turned and left, almost skipping his way home. As soon as Yugi was out of sight, he turned to his own house, knowing he should go in. Knowing that he should work on his painting, he had only just started last night, barely getting anything done. But something stopped him from going in. Joey wanted to pour his emotions into his painting so everyone who saw it would feel everything he did. He wanted that connection with the people who saw his artwork. At this moment Joey didn't think he could do that, he just couldn't gather up enough emotion right now, after yesterday, pouring his heart out onto Yugi's shoulder and then into his sketch.
So he decided to walk to the park. Perhaps, he thought with dry humor, contemplating his pathetic life done in the most deserted spot in all of Tokyo would give him an emotional burst he could use.
every time I feel alone
I can blame it on you
And I do, oh
Joey had woken up really early again today. It was almost darkly amusing at how being told your life was going to be ruined threw off your sleep pattern. So it was only just after eight am on Sunday, leaving even the normally most crowded streets almost deserted entirely. Even for the non-Christians today was the one-day a week where almost not one worked, no one went to school, and nearly everyone slept late. Around noon things would pick up as teenagers went to meet with friends, adults went shopping, and by then the park would start to fill up with families on picnics, enjoying the good weather.
The walk there was quick since the Wheeler residence wasn't very far from it. True to what he had thought earlier, Joey found the park practically empty save for the singing birds, quite awake and apparently cheerful up in their homes high off the ground. Birds, Joey mused, didn't always live in the same place. They moved frequently and went far away form where they lived a good deal of the year to the south once the cold weather set in. But birds always returned back if still living and always traveled with everyone they knew. Birds never left anything important behind.
you got me like a loaded gun
golden sun and sky so blue
we both know that we want it
but we both know you left me no choice
Joey strayed off the main path onto the grass and headed past where most of the people would later be. He headed to the little pond he had found eight years ago, when his mother and sister had left. He had run away to the park, intending to live there, alone, so no one would ever leave him again, when he had found the pond. After a few hours of staying there, skipping rocks he had calmed down and gone back home where his father had been waiting frantically, on the verge of calling the police. Joey thought he was the only one who knew about it. But when he reached it, somebody was all ready standing there, dressed totally in black.
He didn't have to turn around for Joey to recognize him. It was Myishi. But unlike at the art store, he wasn't happy. All that cheerful talkit was like it had been sucked out of him. A sense of loss, of being lost, radiated from him as heat does from the sun. It was not in Joey's nature to hesitate, nor to become nervous around another person. He was the type who often acted without thinking, often, but not always. And seeing Myishi here, it caused Joey to pause, to have one of those moments in which he thought before barging in.
Before he had a chance to do anything, however, Myishi turned around.
(chaque fois que tu ton va)
you just bring me down
(je pretend que tu fais bien)
so I'm counting my tears 'til I get over you
"Joey," he said, sounding surprised. Joey could help smiling a little. He could tell that Myishi had thought the he was the only one who knew about the pond too. "What are you doing here?"
"Same thing as you, I guess," Joey said, shrugging but not moving anymore than that. "Ta think."
"Well, then I guess I'll go," Myishi said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "See ya 'round." He startled to walk away but as he passed, Joey grabbed his arm. Myishi looked into his eyes, startled.
"Wait," Joey said firmly. "Stay'n talk for a bit."
"All right," Myishi said. "Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
"How do you know Kaiba?" Joey asked. The question had been lurking in the back of his mind ever since Seto had told him how everything he was hearing had been said to another boy, Myishi. He had wondered how exactly Seto had known that Myishi wasn't going to enter, since if he hadn't the CEO wouldn't have bothered with the little speech. And if he hadn't known Myishi beforehand, Seto wouldn't have known that he wasn't going to enter in the event.
"Which one?" Myishi asked, his tone giving away no implication that it wasn't an honest question, but his eyes, however, flickered with an amused spark. Joey knew he didn't actually want an answer, so he grinned.
"Ah, that Kaiba," Myishi said, mock seriously. "How do you know I know him?"
"Because I know him, too," Joey replied.
"And you'd like to know him better," Myishi remarked. Joey blushed. Myishi seemed to take no notice of this and continued, seemingly without remembering the direction the conversation had been in danger of taking just seconds before. "Well, if you'll walk me back to the path, I'll tell you."
"Fair enough," Joey agreed, quick to get away from the topic now looming in his mind, and the two turned away from the pond. Joey felt a twinge of regret, he had, after all, come here on purpose, but he quickly quashed it with the curiosity eating away at him, wanting to hear the answer.
sometimes I watch the world go by
I wonder what it's like
To wake up every single day
Smile on your face
"My mother died two years ago," Myishi said quietly. Joey thought he saw something like a tear glittering in his eye, but then he blinked and Joey couldn't be sure. He hesitated a moment, and Joey was afraid it would be too hard for him to continue to he nodded, to show he understood, but did not pity him. If Myishi sensed pity from him, he would stop straight (R: an ironic word to use in the story) away.
"And my father, he just fell apart. He started drinking, neglecting bills, lost his job. I was only thirteen years old at the time and so my relative took me out of his care and gave me to the orphanage, since none of them wanted to deal with a teenager, especially a grieving one." Joey was shocked. His family was perhaps not the best in the world. He, after all, never saw his mother or sister, and saw his father only on the weekends. But even if he became an orphan he knew that the rest of his family, on both sides, would not hesitate to take him in until he headed off to college. Suddenly, moving didn't seem like the worst fate in the world.
"I still live there," Myishi continued. "But now I have my job, I still go to school, I have a couple of good friends, and things aren't really all that bad now. But back then I saw my world falling apart around me and did nothing to try and fix it. I had been there for about six months and I still wasn't adjusting to life there when Seto and Mokuba came for a visit. See, when their parents died, the orphanage I live in is where they were sent to since they had no living relatives.
After an hour with Seto I had stopped whining and crying, I was back to my old self. See, he told me a lot about his life, and I realized that even as bad as it seemed right now, I just had to see that it could be a lot worse, and it was within my own power to make the situation better." Myishi stopped and shrugged. "He comes around about once a month to talk, Mokuba comes sometimes as well." Joey couldn't say anything. It was a bit much for him to absorb.
And though at the time it didn't click with Joey, Myishi had let something slip about Seto that Joey hadn't really considered before. But it didn't matter, he would see it later on.
"Well, I'll see you later," Myishi said when they reached the path.
"Hey," Joey said on a sudden burst of inspiration. "Do ya wanna get some coffee wit me? I'd like da company." Myishi grinned at him, the cheerfulness seeping back into him.
"Sure," he agreed. "But can I get a donut too?"
"Why not?" Joey said, liking the sound of that. The two walked down the path toward the nearest coffee shop, not noticing the figure coming the other way.
you never tried
we both know we can't change it
but we both know we'll just have to face it
Seto had woken up at 5 am. At first he rolled over in bed, fully prepared to hit the snooze button, or better yet, turn the alarm off, when he realized there was no loud beeping noise. His eyes shot open and he sat up, staring at the clock. It hardly seemed possible that he was awake this early of his own accord. For a moment he entertained the notion of pinching himself, just to make sure this was no dream. But he quickly decided against this, since he was never alone in his dreamsnever alone.
Seto pushed aside this train of thought and swung his legs over the side of the bed. They met the soft carpet and for a moment he thought about going back to sleep. But his mind quickly dismissed this and seized on another, more calling force, coffee.
On the way down the hall he saw Mokuba's door opened slightly so he looked in. Mokuba lay in his bed looking totally peaceful as he slept, his dreams pleasant. Seto envied him for that. He stood there for what seemed a few minutes, completely zoned out. Once he came back to reality, however, the need for coffee was calling out even stronger.
He reached the kitchen in record time, three minutes flat, and grabbed the bag of coffee beans. Once the brewer was going, Seto felt no little amount of satisfaction, knowing that soon the glorious drink he craved would be ready. In the mean time he set off on a kitchen wide search for the bagels. As he brushed past the stove he happened to look at the clock above it. He froze, sure he read it wrong. There was no way it was six already. No change in hell. But no matter how long he looked at it, that's what it said. Until it turned to 6:01 at least.
"And that, idiot," Seto murmured. "Is why you're not supposed to think about it." He grimaced as he realized he was talking to himself, out loud nonetheless! He spotted the bagels and grabbed them. The aroma of coffee filled the air and Seto breathed deep. God did it smell good. Soon the buzzer dinged and he got out a cup and poured the black drink 'til it reached the top. He took a sip then walked back over to the table, sitting down.
(chaque fois que tu ton va)
you just bring me down
(je pretend que tu fais bien)
so I'm counting my tears 'til I get over you
As he ate his meager breakfast- shamefully he admitted Mokuba would want him to eat more- he let his mind wander, stopping only briefly at points before it settled on two, combined topics.
Why had he agreed to that party? Oh, right, because Joey was going to be there. No, wait, why the hell did he care if Joey came or not? Because you like him, said an annoying voice in his head that sounded disturbingly like Mokuba. No I don't, he argued. No, another voice agreed softly, you love him.
Seto nearly choked on the last bit of bagel. Love him? Where was that coming from? Roughly he stood up, pushed the chair back. He stormed up to his room and got dressed. As he was pulling his shirt on, he looked in the mirror. The person he saw looking back at him was a rich bastard with a cold, selfish heart. And for a moment he swore he saw someone standing next to him, and he smiled, letting his mask go for a moment.
Seto stepped back, horrified. Half that now he was hallucinatingand half that his hallucination reflected the desire he kept buried deepest in his heart.
if only I could give you up
but would I want to let you off of this soapbox baby?
We both know that we want it
But we both know you left me no choice
After about an hour and a half of staring up at his ceiling, sprawled across the floor, Seto sat up and sighed, deciding to go outside instead of moping around here, practicing his skills in denial. He looked at his clock and decided to walk to the park. It should be deserted, more or less, so maybe the fresh air would do him some good.
After making the decision he scribbled down at small note to Mokuba, telling him where he'd gone. Getting out a thing of tape he cut a small piece and stuck the note to Mokuba's door on his way out
(chaque fois que tu ton va)
you just bring me down
(je pretend que tu fais bien)
so I'm counting my tears 'til I get over you
When he reached the park it was quite, save fore some small birds enjoying the morning. He stepped onto the path and began walking forward at a leisurely pace, just taking in the morning clam and solitude, slowly relaxing.
Then a little less than halfway he stopped, hearing tow voiced that sounded familiar.
"Hey do ya wanna get some coffee wit me? I'd like da company."
"Sure, but can I get a donut too?"
"Why not?" Seto held his breath, not wanting to believe it. But as he saw the two walking away he couldn't deny who they were. Nor could he deny the fact that he'd been foolish thinking that he had any right in loving someone, when there was so obviously someone better for them.
And so he turned and walked back the way he came, Seto Kaiba's heart breaking for the first time.
we both know that I'm not over you
I'm not over you
(chaque fois que tu ton va)
you just bring me down
(je pretend que tu fais bien)
so I'm counting me tears 'til I get over you
Two notes: chaque fois que tu ton va: French for: Every time you walk away
Je pretend que tu fais bien: French for: I pretend that I'm okayAnd as was pointed out by many awesome reviewers, there was something I need to fix in the last chapter, so here it is:
"And the total cost for your lovely purchase is 100,000 yen," Myishi reported. Joey winced as he dug his wallet out of his pocket and forked over the money. These art supplies weren't cheap
I do hope that's better.
Next Chapter: Store it Until the Show
"Hey, Kaiba!" Joey said cheerfully as Seto opened the door to let the guests in. Seto didn't acknowledge him in anyway.
"Hello, Yugi," he said instead. Joey's eyes widened. What was wrong with Seto? Had he done something to offend him? But as Joey racked his brain to think of something his attention was diverted to something else. When Yami and Bakura entered they were carrying something that looked suspiciously like cans of beer
And now to reply to my wonderful reviewers: Thank you for waiting! If things go according to plan the next chapter to be up in a few days. Three I believe is the number I'm looking for, but don't hold your breath. I don't know if I'll be able to.
SetoKaibaWheeler: grins Yay! Another person who loves my story, i hope this is soon enough for you, i couldn't post it sooner, though I did try, believe me on that.
Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu: Ahhh, thank you for refreshing my pathetic memory. Though I i remmeber correctly this time, you just finished one of your stories, it's traumatzing since I loved that story! sniffle
BarbedWire23: I love being reminded that you love this story, and I'm glad you approved of my use of the idea. grins and don't worry, eventually you'll find out what Joey paints...eventually. And, i hope that the knew amount it better. hehe. And yeah, of course Mokuba serves the fans...at least he'd better if he knows what's good for him
pisces071: belive me, glad to here it. Hope you like this chapter!
Puppy 'Yaoi Queen' Love: sighs in relief Good, hope this does too. now, what's going to happen at the party? Gooood question. Guess you'll find out next chapter (and so will I!) I'm still updating as fast as I can get my computer to log me in!
setonjounouchisgal: Really? looks stunned Good? I dunno....s'long as you like it.
Spider Azrail: Gil Thief-chan: cheerfully Don't worry, I'm not offended! And glad you like the rest of the story....and glad that you read my story too!
PepperFang: gulps nervously you're an-an-an a-a-a-artist? Oh no....hehe, just kidding. But seriously, I'm shocked that you like this story if you're actually into art. I'm not so sure i'm portaying the whole "art thing" correctly (since I am hopeless at art myself, therefore avoid it when I can)
sango-irss: Having Marik, Bakura and a plotting Mokuba set on me might not be so bad drools Bakura. clears throat Anyway, glad you like the story! (you know, I just realized how many times I've written that since the story started, huh, I need something knew to say)
lostlover1: You know, you're the only one who ever comments one the song. Much appreciated! And, wow, you really think about how you use your words...don't you? Um, now you asked about the name of the fic (and the name of the store). How did I come up with it? Ummm, that's a good question. Perhaps you could tell me. (hehe, honestly I don't know. It just popped into my head). And I never get tired of hearing good luck and/or love your fic! And i don't know why you never got over 15...i like your fics...
mandapandabug: I always answer your reviews confused and I'm happy you're happy. I tried to update sooner, I swear!!- but I can't log in most of the time 'cause is screwed up scowls and I tried to update this one quick, but I still couldn't log in!!!!! oh dammit dammit dammit!!!!!!!!! Eh-hem, anyway. Evil, grins Thank you, thank you! shocked but no one was suppoed to find out! Oh now! My cover is blown! And it's really quite simple to make u wait to find out what Joey paints. Actually it's rather amusing to see everyone get so worked up over it. And you know, I've heard dying a lot is not really good for you health. you might want to get help with that.
Aymari: Where exactly do you get a Japanese Dictionary? The party is next chapter- hope you'll enjoy it!- and hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to update soon- but computer hate me, so I can't promise anything sigh
Liz Nezumi: You have no idea how awesome it is to hear like every review that people love my story. no wait, you're an author, yes you do. My bad. You welcome.
Shin Mao: I'm trying! i'm trying! But, ah, thanks for pointing out my mistake; and soon you'll find out what Joey paints. A couple chapters at most...anyway I think I get what you're trying to say. sigh why has everyone gone on vacation except me? DOES GOD HATE ME THAT MUCH????????? crys
MarMar3: Amazingly good? My fic? Are we reading the same thing? And ah, thanks for pointing that out. I'm considering going and dying of embarassment...oh well.
Psycho Rooster: You're welcome. And I'm trying! And I have! giggles pretty quote
Kat: But what if I'm trying to portray Mokuba as an innocent child with no idea about what could happen when he sets up his brother and Joey? I still think he would be traumatized (simply because I would find that amusing grins)
Sora Kohaku: Thanks
Anyway, thank you all so much for reviewing. It really means a lot to mean to know that people are actually reading (and enjoying!) my story. None of my other fics have ever, ever been this popular. So thanks again! Please review and tell me what you think 'cause the more reviews I get = the more motivation I have to update! Remo